1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the category of equipment adapted to be set up on an open highway, for the purpose of checking the possible impairment, due to alcohol, of motorists. In a more specific sense, the equipment is of the type utilizing a pair of portable strips between which a driving lane is defined, with said strips being adapted to be quickly attachable to the highway surface, in positions such as to require that the motorists pass therebetween, and do so in a manner that will quickly indicate whether or not they are capable of operating a vehicle safely, in the sense of maintaining their vehicles along a proper course.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In widespread use is the road block, sobriety check point system, in which all vehicles may be stopped and the drivers briefly questioned for signs of driver impairment. Indications are that less than one percent of drivers are drunk drivers; hence police officers may have to stop and question 99 sober unimpaired drivers before apprehending a drunk driver.
The problem of checking a large number of drivers for driver impairment while causing minimal inconvenience to sober unimpaired drivers is a problem that should be solved. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,413 discloses a means of detecting driver impairment; in that patent, an electrical switch is located in one end of each section of boundary lane strip where it may be run upon and damaged. The objects of the present invention are to lessen the chances of damage to electrical switches and to reduce the number of switches by one half, thereby improving upon U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,413 by providing a more economical system for detecting driver impairment.